Tommy Kono

Tamio "Tommy" Kono (Japanese: 高野 民夫, June 27, 1930 – April 24, 2016) was an American weightlifter of Japanese descent. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Kono set world records in four different weight classes: lightweight (149 pounds or 67.5 kilograms), middleweight (165 lb or 75 kg), light-heavyweight (182 lb or 82.5 kg) and middle-heavyweight (198 lb or 90 kg).

Early life

Kono was born in Sacramento, California, on June 27, 1930. His family was of Japanese descent and were interned at Tule Lake internment camp in 1942 during World War II following the signing of Executive Order 9066. Sickly as a child, the desert air helped Kono's asthma. It was during the relocation that Kono was introduced to weightlifting by neighbors including Noboru "Dave" Shimoda, a member of the Tule Lake weightlifting and bodybuilding club and brother of actor Yuki Shimoda and his friends, Gotoh, Toda and Bob Nakanishi. After 31⁄2 years they were released and Kono finished Sacramento High School. He later worked for the California Department of Motor Vehicles and attended Sacramento Junior College.

Kono was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950 as a cook but remained in the United States during the Korean War after officials learned of his Olympic potential. As a private, he was first sent to Camp Stoneman, then reassigned to Fort Mason in San Francisco, California.